


A Well-Needed Break?

by sexywiddlebaby



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Adorable, Cute, Feels, Fluff, M/M, Mushy, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-04 01:04:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5314208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sexywiddlebaby/pseuds/sexywiddlebaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's time for a well deserved break for the Grumps crew. Barry gets left to deal with a tired wreck of an Arin, and so he ends up crashing with him for the night. True emotions reveal themselves.</p><p>[001]</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Well-Needed Break?

**Author's Note:**

> The ship is not established at the beginning!

Barry's eyelids were the heaviest they'd been for a while. Even though this was just supposed to be a break away from life, somehow he was more stressed than ever. He rolled over in his double bed, the mattress squeaking with his body weight.

 _Why do I have these feelings? It wasn't meant to be like this. Will Arin think I'm a jerk?_  
So many thoughts flooded his mind. It was no good. He couldn't sleep.

Barry shuffled the soft duvet off his aching body, so that it slumped onto the floor in a heap. He laid there for a while, staring at the ceiling, his hands clutching his head in worry. Finally, he managed to sit up. His heart really couldn't take it.

 _But what if...he feels the same way? There's no harm in asking, surely?_  
Sweat had now drenched his bed sheets.  
_Pull yourself together...calm down...everything will be alright..._

It had been one of the best weeks of his life up until this point. And that was saying a lot.

* * *

 

It all started on Friday, when the relentless snow was collecting on the streets outside the office.  
A disgruntled and unhappy Arin dragged himself across the office to the recording room, grunting out a few troubles. Barry had already been at the office for a few hours, catching up on some editing work (and also because the work day _did start four hours ago_ ).  
"Morning Arin!" Barry called out from his desk.  
But Arin just shuffled faster past him. It was clear that he wasn't in the mood to talk. The door to the recording room slammed shut.

The couch looked uninviting today. Nonetheless, he needed to get some recording done, so he heaved himself onto it.  
Dan was already seated there, texting busily. "Hey dude," he murmured, not looking up.  
There was an awkward moment of silence.  
Dan looked up from his phone to see a nervous wreck of a man in front of him.  
"Woah dude, you don't look so good. What's up, man?"

Arin stayed silent, just staring at the TV in front of the couch, his eyes staring menacingly.  
Dan noticed he was exceedingly scruffy, with dark marks around his eyes from lack of sleep.  
"Hello...? Arin?"  
Nothing. It was like he was just talking to a wall with the level of feedback he was getting.  
"...Arin?"

Finally, Arin broke the silence.  
"I'm fine Dan," he said in an unsettling tone.  
Dan knew he was lying, but decided not to raise it any further. Instead, he went back to texting as Arin set up for their recording.

"Knock knock!" Barry said from the door, letting himself in.  
"We're all caught up again. Just thought I'd let you know."  
Dan smiled, but Arin made noises of frustration, throwing wires everywhere. Both Dan and Barry snapped their attention to Arin, who was now leaning face-first into the floor, surrounded by cables that didn't fit together.

"Is...is he okay?" Barry asked Dan.  
"I dunno man. Maybe we shouldn't record today-"  
" **But we've got to record!** " shouted Arin, bolting upright, before crashing back on the floor again. "We've...got a show to run..."  
"Not in this state you're not," Suzy replied.

"Come on Arin. Let's get you home to rest," she said, striding into the room.  
Arin was a blubbering mess of tiredness and excuses, but somehow Suzy managed to drag him out of the recording area.  
Dan sighed heavily and continued texting, whilst Barry went over to assist Suzy.

"Got...to...make more...episodes..." droned Arin into the carpet.  
"When you're better you can," Suzy said.  
Barry was ready to complain about how tired he was, but instead he offered a suggestion.  
"Look at us. We can't seriously make anything at this rate. We could all really use a break."  
"A show...to run..." continued Arin.

"Maybe you're right, Barry." Suzy replied. "I've got some friends out of town that I need to catch up with anyway."  
Dan had now made his way over to the scene. "Yeah, and I need some time to pump out some lyrics.""Hey Barry." Dan said.  
"Uh, yeah?" Barry replied.  
"Maybe you could look after this hunk for the weekend, eh?" he playfully asked, nudging his elbow softly into Barry.  
"That's a great idea, Dan!" Suzy exclaimed. "What do you say to that, Arin?" she asked, bumping her foot into Arin's side.

Lo and behold, Barry had been loaded with a grumpy old man for the weekend. As the others offered their goodbyes, it was just them left together in the office.  
"Why me?" Barry asked to himself innocently. He looked down at Arin, who hadn't moved an inch since being dragged there.  
"Come on man."  
Barry crouched down, lifting one of Arin's arms, and wrapping it around his own shoulder.  
"Up...you get!" Barry lifted himself with Arin.

Arin was heavier than Barry originally thought. He struggled, but managed to heave himself with Arin towards the exit.  
It seemed like a century before the cold of the winter air smashed against their bodies. Barry was now dragging Arin through the car park, as the snow continued to batter against them. Eventually, Barry had reached his car.  
"Arin. I need you to stand up for me." Barry whispered into Arin's ear.  
"...Arin," he repeated. "Come on. Please?"

A sleepy and dishevelled Arin finally rose from Barry's tired arms. "Thanks, bud."  
Barry patted down his pockets to find his car keys. And as he turned the key to unlock the driver's door, he saw Arin collapsed into the snow on the floor.  
"Oh, no, no, no! Get up dude," said Barry, rushing over to lift him from the floor again.  
"Wait until we get inside before you do that," Barry said, brushing the clumps of snow off Arin's face and clothes.

Barry had somehow managed to shove Arin into the back seats of his car, allowing him to get in as well.  
Arin was already asleep as Barry turned the ignition on. The car rattled into life, crawling away from the quiet office.  
Barry notched up the volume on the local radio station, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel in rhythm. It was definitely feeling like a cold, January morning if he'd ever seen one before.

_What am I gonna do with you?_

* * *

It had taken an hour with all of the traffic and ice on the roads, but Barry finally pulled into his apartment's car park.  
He turned the key, and the car's energy died. Barry released himself from the seat, looking back to see Arin, still flat as a board and fast asleep.  
Thankfully, with Dan out of town, there'd be a free bed for Arin at least.

Barry got out of the car, and opened the passenger door. He prodded Arin several times, but no luck. He'd have to drag him inside, unless...

 _Aha!_  
On the other side of the car park was a small shopping cart.  
"Wait right there," Barry whispered, before jogging off towards the cart.  
When he had finally wheeled it back to the car, Arin was nowhere to be found.  
"Wha- where the-?"  
Barry quickly slammed the car door shut, locking it, and made his way to the building.

Sure enough, in the building's lobby, there was Arin on the floor again, with a crowd of concerned residents circled around him. One seemed ready to dial the police, another was crying hysterically.  
"He...he just collapsed!"  
"What do we do with him?"  
"Out of the way!" Barry pleaded, elbowing his way through the gathering to get to Arin.  
"Wake up, Arin," he whispered repeatedly, slapping his cheek lightly.  
"Get off him!" cried a member of the crowd, trying to pull Barry back.  
"You don't understand!" Barry howled.

And then, in the midst of the commotion, the familiar sound of the elevator reaching the bottom floor echoed around the room.  
_This is my chance!_  
In what seemed to be one swift movement, Barry hoisted Arin over his shoulder, and bolted towards the elevator.  
The other people in the lobby screamed, and dived out of his way.  
Barry didn't seem to stop, and jumped inside just as the doors began to close.  
A concerned person next to the buttons froze, turning his head towards Barry.  
"Floor six, please," Barry panted.  
With the same look of dismay, the person pressed the button for floor six.

* * *

Barry jammed his key into the front door, and kicked it open, lunging inside. He finally could get Arin down, and propped him up against the wall.  
_Phew..._  
Barry closed the door behind him, turning around to see the mess of the apartment.  
When he had left, the apartment was clean as a whistle, but there were clothes everywhere, messy plates stacked on the coffee table, a spilled cup of coffee on the newly cleaned carpet...

Barry was seething. Dan usually didn't make a mess of things, and never in this scale. It was too late to clean it up anyway.  
Arin was finally walking on his own, away from Barry.  
"Where you goin'?" Barry asked, following Arin as he explored the apartment.  
Eventually he came across a bedroom, and threw himself at the bed, rolling around in the duvet. It just so happened to be Barry's bed.  
Barry wasn't prepared to drag Arin out again, so instead he just left and crashed on Dan's bed instead.

Both of them passed out in a matter of minutes.

* * *

Barry had finally stirred. It was dark; his shoulders were hurting. He must have slept for ages...but he was still tired. So he tried closing his eyes again. But all that he achieved was starting to worry about Arin in the other room.

 _Was he okay in there?_  
And then came the flood of strange thoughts. The thoughts Barry had never really experienced before.  
He thought back to having to drag Arin around and care for him. It was...kind of sweet.  
He didn't really know how to explain it. But he felt something else. An unfamiliar wash of heat flushed against his cheeks.

 _He's...kinda cute._  
Wait, did he really just think that?! No, he must just be extremely tired...

 _What if we went out?_  
Barry's thoughts became a sea of mixed emotions. There was new-found love swimming around with concern and worry. His heart was beating faster.  
_Would Suzy mind if we were to-_

Barry rolled around, now uncomfortable in his bed. He was getting very stressed.  
_What would it be like if I kissed him?_

The deafening silence just amplified the questions in his head.  
_God, I want to hug him._

And suddenly Barry felt very alone.

 _Why do I have these feelings? It wasn't meant to be like this. Will Arin think I'm a jerk?_  
So many thoughts flooded his mind. It was no good. He couldn't sleep.

Barry shuffled the soft duvet off his aching body, so that it slumped onto the floor in a heap. He laid there for a while, staring at the ceiling, his hands clutching his head in worry. Finally, he managed to sit up. His heart really couldn't take it.

 _But what if...he feels the same way? There's no harm in asking, surely?_  
Sweat had now drenched his bed sheets.  
_Pull yourself together...calm down...everything will be alright..._

Arin burst into the room, with a takeaway in one hand and a smile spread across his face.  
"Hey dude!" Arin shouted at Barry, flicking the light switch on.  
Barry tried to block some of the blinding light with his hands. "Ah, h-hey, Arin."  
"So...why am I here again?" Arin asked.  
Barry was too scared to blurt out a response.  
"Ah, no matter dude. I got us some food!"  
Arin ushered Barry into the living area, where bags of takeaway were piled onto the coffee table.

"I texted Suzy earlier. Apparently I had a bit of a moment this morning," he continued, opening the boxes of food.  
"and you were the one to help me out."  
Barry nodded gently, but tried to refuse the food offering.  
"Oh come on dude. Least I can do for you."

Barry sat on the couch next to Arin, and took a box of Chinese. He hadn't eaten takeout in _ages_.  
Arin was devouring the noodles in his pot like a starved maniac. Barry adjusted himself and began to eat his food."So, what exactly happened?" Arin slurped, spitting soy sauce over Barry.  
Barry recounted the events in explicit detail, including the scene at the lobby.

"Oh wow! How went through with all of that is beyond me bro!" Arin joked.  
"Nah but seriously, thank you so much."  
Barry had heard Arin, but all he could do was stare at him. His mind filled with icky thoughts again.  
"Uh, bro? You alright in there? You look like you've seen a ghost."  
"The most fucking handsome one."

Arin laughed as Barry's cheeks blushed red even more intensely.  
Barry hung his head in shame of what he said, but Arin thought differently.  
He gripped Barry's shoulder, shaking it reassuringly. "It's okay, Barry."  
Barry looked up to see Arin's sympathetic eyes meet his.  
"I know you have a little crush on me."

Barry was dazed. "H-h-how?"  
"You talk an awful lot in your sleep, silly."  
Arin placed his food back on the table, before turning to Barry, arms outstretched.  
Barry flung himself into a hug.  
"Everything's gonna be fine, Barry."  
A few tears rolled from Barry's cheeks and soaked into Arin's shirt.  
"I love you, Arin..." murmured Barry.  
"I love you too, Barry."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave some feedback below if you can spare the time. <3


End file.
